Curriculum Vitae

President of Taif University

Dr. Husam bin Abdulwahhab Zaman has been President of Taif University since June 2016 to 2019. Before then, he was Director General of UNESCO’s Regional Center for Quality and Communication in Education and Secretary-General of the Center’s Council (October 2014-March 2018).

Previously, he was a faculty member at the College of Education at Taibah University in Medina. He also held several academic positions at the same university:

  • Deputy Vice President for Development and Quality
  • Acting Dean of the College of Law
  • Dean of Quality
  • General Supervisor of the Medina Branch of the Saudi Electronic University
  • Supervisor of the Quality and Accreditation Unit
  • Head of Department of Educational Resources, College of Education
  • Assistant Supervisor of Legal Administration, Faculty Member of Education

Dr. Zaman holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and an MA and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Analysis from the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

On 24 June, 2016, Dr. Zaman was appointed President of Taif University by a Supreme Royal Decree, thus becoming the second president of TU since its establishment.

 

Personal Details

Dr. Husam ibn Abdulwahhab bin Muhammad Zaman was born on 2 August 1976 in Medina. He is married and the father four children: three daughters (Lina, Dima, and Sarah) and one son (Abdulwahhab).

Academic Experience

  • Associate Professor of Educational Policies, College of Education, Taibah University.
  • Assistant Professor of Educational Policies, College of Education, Taibah University.
  • Teaching Assistant (TA) at the Institute for International Studies in Education (IISE), University of Pittsburgh, USA.
  • Assistant Editor of Comparative Education Review, published by the Comparative and International Education Society (CEIS).
  • Teaching Assistant, Department of Comparative Education, College of Education, King Abdulaziz University.

 

Other Highlights

  • Secretary General of the of the Arabic Poetry Academy Council at Taif University and Chairman of the Founding Committee of the Academy, 2018.
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Education Assessment Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, representing the Higher Education Sector 2017/2018.
  • Chairman of the Arab Bureau of Education Prize Committee, 2015/2016.
  • Member of the Executive Committee of the UNESCO International Working Group on Teachers.
  • Member of the Advisory Board of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Statistics, Montreal, Canada.
  • Head of Development Horizons for Institutional Consultancy (DHIC), 2014 to date.
  • Member of the Consultative Group of the Knowledge Index Project issued jointly by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.
  • Associate Member, Academic Leadership Center, Ministry of Higher Education, 2013-present.
  • Member of the Advisory Group for Conceptualization of the Kuwait International Award for Outstanding Strategic Performance under the supervision of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Kuwait in 2013.
  • Member of the Advisory Board of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs (MENA-NCATE) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2011.
  • Supervising member in the Accreditation Review Team, consisting of the National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation to visit King Saud University and grant it institutional accreditation by the Commission in 2011.
  • Member of the Project Team (Admissions and Absorption System in Higher Education Institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), a study commissioned by the University of Taibah within the project of the future plan for higher education in Saudi Arabia (Afaq Project) 2007.

 

Awards

  • Certificate of Appreciation and Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Award for Scientific Excellence.
  • Certificate of Merit and Medina Award Shield for Academic Excellence on the occasion of obtaining a BA with First Honors, October 2, 1997.
  • Certificate of Merit and Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Award Shield for Culture and Science on the occasion of winning second prize in the field of general cultural research in the thirteenth competition of the prize in 1995.

 

Dr. Zaman’s Contributions to the development of Taif University

Since his appointment as President of Taif University, Dr. Zaman has effected several academic, administrative, and financial changes.

  1. Programmatic Transformation Project (PTP)

Geared towards the simultaneous development of all academic curricula, PTP is the largest program of its kind across Saudi universities. PTP includes the development of 47 academic programs in various departments to improve the quality of such programs in line with the transformation plans and development of all aspects of the educational process per Saudi Vision 2030, and the restructuring of the preparatory year. The program included the development of Islamic Culture curricula by incorporating modern materials related to the Prophet’s biography, Islamic ethics in professional practices, and the adoption of an electronic curriculum to teach the History and Culture of Saudi Arabia (a general requirement for all students).

  1. Institutional and technical transformation projects

Dr. Zaman has launched many projects and other important initiatives at Taif University, including the launch of an Institutional Transformation Project (ITP) aimed at developing all administrative and financial systems and procedures in preparation for the introduction of the new University system which will impose major shifts in University management systems. The establishment of the University Investment Fund with a capital of SR 100 million to activate investment in the knowledge economy and support and develop the local economy in Taif is one of the fruits of the ITP. Dr. Zaman also launched the Technical Transformation Project (TTP) at TU, which includes the development of all electronic and technical systems at TU, and the activation of e-learning systems, all in a drive to turn TU into a “University without Papers.” The TTP includes 19 technical projects, all of which support the University's electronic architecture.

  1. Adopting the Strategic Vision

Dr. Zaman oversaw the formulation of TU’s strategic vision to keep abreast of Saudi Vision 2030 and achieve the objectives of the National Transformation Program 2020, by upgrading the educational process and improving its quality. On the occasion of the second anniversary of the launch of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020, Dr. Zaman launched a countdown ending on 1 January 2020 to complete the implementation of plans, projects, and initiatives adopted to achieve the goals of the National Transformation Program at the University level.

  1. University without Walls

Dr. Zaman worked to implement a plan to actualize the concept of "University without Walls" at TU through the fostering of partnerships between TU and ministries, governmental bodies, as well as public and private institutions. One of the most important partnerships launched by TU is the partnership with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage to organize the cultural program for Okaz Festival, as well as the partnership with the General Authority for Sports to promote the culture of sports in the local community, the partnership with King Abdul Aziz Foundation to build a digital system for Taif, not to mention other partnerships with public and private bodies. The University has also been keen to hold activities, events, training, and outreach programs targeting different segments of the society, through voluntary teams whose establishment was supported by Dr. Zaman, as well as training programs offered by the College of Community Service, Continuing Education and the Entrepreneurship Center at the University to support the local community and develop the capabilities of its members and skills.

  1.  Empowering Women

Since his appointment as President of Taif University, the most prominent changes supervised by Dr. Zaman, changes that received great interest in the Saudi media, include issuing several resolutions aimed at putting women in leadership positions that have been hitherto reserved for men in Saudi universities. TU became the first Saudi university to appoint a female dean for a college that has faculty members and students of both sexes in Saudi Arabia. With the appointment of a vice president for female student affairs, five female deans, and department heads, the percentage of women seats in the University Council increased by 25%, and women leaders have been granted more powers. Departments in the College of Engineering as well as the Department of Physical Education for Female Students in the College of Education were opened for the first time. Female Saudi engineers were also appointed in project management at the University.

  1. Empowering Young Leaders and Attracting Saudi Talents

Dr. Zaman has issued several decisions to empower young talented professionals to hold leadership positions at the University, thus appointing more than 25 young academic and administrative leaders in various colleges and departments University-wide. He was also keen on recruiting young professionals, especially beneficiaries of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program for Studying Abroad, to join TU teaching staff. A spokesman for unemployed Saudi PhD holders said that Taif University had recruited 18% of all employed last year, thus ranking as the highest recruiter among Saudi universities. To incentivize TU students, Dr. Zaman also issued a decision whereby top-ranking graduates from all colleges were to be appointed TAs in their colleges. This decision resulted in the appointment of 32 TU male and female graduates as of the first two years of implementing the decision.

  1. Founding the Arabic Poetry Academy at Taif University

In implementation of the directives of HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Prince of Makkah Region, Dr. Zaman oversaw the founding of the Arabic Poetry Academy at Taif University. The academy is slated to be an Arab cultural institution serving poetry and related arts, to spearhead the development of poetic creativity, promote literary talents, and disseminate poetic culture in society. The Arabic Poetry Academy, operating officially under the umbrella of Taif University, is a new qualitative addition to the existing cultural institutions in the Arab world, and is in line with Saudi Vision 2030. To promote the Saudi personality, the Academy has a special program with initiatives for the advancement of Arabic culture, poetry, and civilization. The objectives of the Academy are to care and support poetry through the development of poetic creativity in contemporary Arab culture, organize various training programs, workshops and lectures, promote poetic culture in Arab societies, and document all aspects the Arabic poetic production, and use modern technology and social media to disseminate poetic culture.

The announcement by HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Prince of Makkah Region, that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has approved the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal International Prize for Arabic Poetry is an important quality move as the prize is one of the main projects administered by the Academy. The prize has a total value of SR 1 million distributed over three branches: 1) SR 500,000 to be awarded to a contemporary Arab poet for all his/her poetic works known for their rich experience; 2) SR 300,000 for dramatic poetry; 3) SR 200,000 to be awarded to the producer of a lyrical work based on a poem by a contemporary Arab poet.

The University is also in the process of implementing the Academy’s projects, initiatives and programs, including a status report on Arabic poetry to be prepared by the Research and Consultancy Unit, promoting poetic culture among the youth through establishing poetry clubs at boys and girls schools all across Saudi Arabia, launching capitals of Arabic poetry, an annual celebration project, whereby an Arab city is chosen to hold a special celebration for Arabic poetry.